The Windsor Spitfires have company in the recruitment violation penalty box.

Less than four months after the Ontario Hockey League slapped the Spitfires with unprecedented sanctions for violation of the league’s recruitment and benefit policies, the Western Hockey League hit the Portland Winterhawks even harder Wednesday.

Portland, which is ranked No. 3 in the Canadian Hockey League rankings and leads the U.S. Division with a 20-4-1-0 record, was hammered for what the league said was a series of violations of WHL regulations over the past four seasons.

Portland was fined $200,000 and forfeited its first five picks in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. The club also forfeits its first-round pick in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Blackhawks head coach and general manager Mike Johnston was also suspended for the balance of the 2012-13 season and playoffs.

“All WHL clubs understand they are required to fully comply and respect our league regulations or they will face significant consequences,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said on the league’s website.

“WHL clubs are required to fully disclose all commitments they make to a player in the WHL standard player agreement. Our independent investigation in this case revealed there were multiple violations over an extended period for player benefits that are not permitted under WHL regulations and were not disclosed to the WHL.

“It should also be noted through the course of the investigation there was no evidence of any payments or enhanced education benefits provided to players that would be contrary to WHL regulations as previous media reports indicated.”

The penalties are far more severe than those handed out to Windsor, which apparently committed two violations over two seasons.

Originally, Windsor was fined $400,000 and stripped of first-round picks in the 2013, 2014 and 2016 OHL Drafts as well as second-round picks in 2015 and 2017.

Windsor appealed the ruling and the fine was reduced to $250,000 and the club’s 2014 first-round pick was returned for what the league said was an acknowledgement by the team that certain violations occurred and the club agreed to drop its appeal.

The two sides also agreed not to comment further on the matter and Spitfires president and head coach Bob Boughner had nothing to offer on the penalties imposed on the Winterhawks Wednesday.

“It’s none of our business,” Boughner said.

The Spitfires face the Barrie Colts at the WFCU Centre tonight (7:05 p.m., cable 11, live blog at windsorstar.com).

OHL commissioner David Branch, who is also president of the CHL, said in an email that he had discussion or input into Wednesday’s sanctions and that is was the sole responsibility of the WHL.

As for Johnston’s suspension, Branch said the OHL’s sanctions, under the Player Benefit Enforcement Program, do not provide for suspensions.

While neither the Spitfires nor OHL ever disclosed the Windsor violations, the Winterhawks were far more open.

According to the club, it said the league found the following violations:

• A player contract signed in 2009, involving flights for the player’s family and a summer training program.

• Over the last five years, seven families were provided flights two-to-four times per season based on financial need and their distance from Portland.

• Twice in the last five years the team paid for two players to each have a one-week summer training regimen.

• The Winterhawks provided a cellphone for its team captain for a period of three seasons.

Branch said the OHL program does not provide for family travel expenses or cell phones.

However, the Winterhawks said the league found no violations involving monetary payments made to players, their families or agents, or any violations related to the league’s educational packages.

“After fully co-operating with the league’s investigation, we were extremely surprised at the excessive nature of the sanctions and we don’t feel they are in line with the scope of the violations we were found to have committed,” Johnston said in a statement.

“We believe that, apart from recruiting trips and parents’ weekend, there is no prohibition in the rules governing flights for players’ parents, which were the majority of the infractions.

“We are currently exploring our options on how we will proceed. Despite our objections, the league has made its decision and our players will continue to pursue the goal of winning a WHL championship.”

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